Apparatus for heating and circulating water by means of steam.



Nor/80,773. I PATENTED JAN.24,1905.

A. H. BARKER. G AND OIRGULATING WATER BY MEANS OF STEAM.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.l2,1903.

APPARATUS FOR HEATIN Wreowueyz Reasons.

gtUNITED STATES Patented January 24, 190-5.

PATENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS FOR HEATING \AND CIRCULATINGWATER B Y MEANS OF STEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,773, dated January24, 1905.

Application filed October 12, 1903- Serial No.l76,74=6- To all whom, itmay concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR HENRY BARKER, a subject of the King of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at Trowbridge, in the county of Wilts,England, have invented anew and useful Improvementin Apparatus forHeating and Circulating Water by Means of Steam, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for heating and circulating theheated water in any system of pipes, whether the service is for heatingonly, or for a warm-water supply, or for both combined. Its object is toeflect both the heating and the circulation by means of steam in anautomatic manner and by means of an apparatus more or lessself-contained. These objects I attain by means of an apparatuscomprising a closed vessel with a water-inlet and a water outlet, eachprovided with a non-return valve, a steam inlet or inlets, and a floatcontrolling the valve or valves of the steam inlet or inlets, so that atthe higher level of the float steam at a sufiiciently high pressure isadmitted to force the water out of the vessel and to circulate it in thesystem of pipes, while when the float is at the lowest level and duringits rise to its highest level steam is admitted at a lower pressureinsuificientto force the water out of or back from the vessel, butcapable of heating the water which the lower pressure allows to flowinto the vessel through or from the return of the said system of pipes.Such an apparatus is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, of whichI Figure 1 is a vertical section with the Working parts shown in .thepositions which they occupy when the water is being forced out of thevessel by the high-pressure steam. Fig. 2 is a vertical section with theWorking parts shown in the positions which they occupy when water isbeing admitted to the apparatus and simultaneously heated by thelowpressure steam. Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken immediatelyabove the valve-rod .p and partly broken away. Fig. 4: is a verticalsection of a modification on the same plane as Figs. 1 and 2-that is tosay, in

proximity to rod Z on the side to which lever 0 is appliedthe lower partof the vessel and contents being broken away.

In all the figures the same reference-letter indicates the same orcorresponding part.

a is the closed vessel, the upper end of which is provided with aWater-inlet pipe 6, forming the termination of or return from the systemof pipes in which the heated water is to be circulated. 0 is awater-outlet pipe to the commencement of the said system of pipes andcommunicating with the bottom of the vessel (0. Both the pipes b and 0are provided with non-return valves (lettered dand 6, respectively) toprevent any movement of water in the wrong direction. The water-inletopening to the vessel a is covered by a perforated plate or rose f todistribute the water in auniform shower as it falls in the vessel,

and thereby facilitate the heating of the water by the low-pressuresteam, which fills the vessel during the inflow'of the water.

g is a steam-pipe, conveying steam of a high pressure to the apparatus,and /b is a valve and uses it to govern the inlet of steam-piped only.The opposite end of rod 19 is provided with an arm 9, carrying a bracketj, similar to bracket j, and a valve h, similar to valve it,

governing the inlet from steam-pipe g. The operation is the same as inthe case of the mechanism described in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

7c is a float, fitted capable of rising and falling up and down thevertical rod Z, which latter is provided with stops or collars m and n.The rod Z is connected, by means of a bellcrank lever 0,with the steamvalve-rod 32, connected to the steam-valve h. g is a shut-01f valveinserted about the connection of the inlet-pipe 6 to the top of thevessel a, and 1 is a shut-off valve inserted about the connection of thewater-outlet pipe 0 with the bottom of the vessel a. The valve (1 isfitted to the upper end of the rod 8, the lower end of which enters theupper end of the hollow vertical rod Z. By means of a slot or slots inthe upper end of the rod Z and a cross-pin .2, fixed to the lower end ofthe valve-rod s, the valve (1 is lifted-that is, closed-during the lastportion of the upward {movement of the rod Z and is drawn down, openingthe water-inlet by the last portion of the downward movement of the rodZ. The valve 1* is attached to a second smaller float u,- of such a sizethat its buoyancy is suiflcient to sustain the valve 1' and balance theweight of the vertical rod Z, which passes through an opening in thecenter of the float a. o is a stop or collar on the rod Z serving totake the upward thrust of the float u, so that the valve is kept openduring the fall of the float k, when the latter no longer supports therod Z. When the level of the water falls so low that the float u isnearly completely unsupported by the water, the weight of the rod Z andvalve 9' are sufficient to move down the valve 1 and close thewater-outlet, thus preventing the high-pressure steam blowing throughthe outlet-pipe c. The said floats, rods, stops, levers, and valvesconstitute as a whole the valve mechanism of this apparatus.

The working of the apparatus is as follows: Commencing with the float Z"in its lowest position resting on the stop at of the vertical rod Z,also in its lowest position, and with the valve 1' closed and the valveq open, the corresponding position of the steam valve-rod pkeeps thehigh-pressure-steam pipe '5 closed by the inner part of cylindricalvalve it and the lowpressure-steam pipe g open by reason of the forwardorouter position of said valve a, so that low-pressure steam fills thevessel. The pressure of this steam is insufficient to keep thenon-return valve (Z closed against the pressure of the water on itsunder side, so that water enters the vessel a through the valve q and isdistributed in its fall by the rose f, so as to expose a large surfaceof the water to the heating action of the steam filling the vessel a andpart of which is at the same time condensed. As the level of the waterin the vessel a rises it lifts the float Z: until when the surface ofthe water reaches a predetermined level the float comes in contact withthe collar or stop 122, thus lifting the vertical rod Z, and therebylifting the valve q and closing waterinlet pipe 6, also by theintermediate connections 0 p retracting the valve 72, sulficiently toclose the low-pressure-steam pipe 2'. The same movement of this valvecontinued immediately opens the high-pressure-steam pipe and the float uthen rises sufliciently to open the water-valver, whereupon as thepressure of the high-pressure steam is greater than the water-pressurepast the non-returnyalve 0 the now heated water is forced out of thevessel a and the circulation of the water in the system of pipes causedto take place to a corresponding extent. As the level of the waterfalls, so the float k sinks until it comes in contact with the stop a,when the rod Z is drawn down and the steam-valve Z2 and the water-valvesq and 1 are operated in the reverse direction and in the reverse orderto those just above described, thereby admitting water from thereturn-pipes of the system to the vessel a and low-pressure steam toheat the same. This alternate admission of the water to and heating ofthe same in the vessel (6 and the subsequent expulsion of the heatedwater from the vessel a and circulation of water in the system of pipesis thus continuously and automatically repeated.

This apparatus allows of exhaust-stcal'n bcing used for heating thewater, while live steam is then only used for circulating it, or livesteam may be used for both purposes, being first throttled for heatingthe water.

I am aware that float-actuated steam-valves have previously been usedas,for example, in steam-trapsfor expelling water from a vessel in which ithas gradually accumulated, and I make no broad or general claim to such;but,

Having now described my invention, I declare that what Ido claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus for heating and circulating heated water, thecombination of a closed vessel, a water-inlet thereto provided with anon-return valve, a water-outlet therefrom provided with a non-returnvalve, means controlling said inlet and outlet, means for admittingsteam of relatively high or low pressure to the vessel, valve mechanismfor controlling the steam admission, a float, and means operated by saidfloat for regulating the movement of the controlling means for the waterand steam passages.

2. In apparatus for heating and circulating water in pipes, thecombination of a closed vessel with its water-inlet, a valve controllingthe same, a pair of inlets respectively for steam of relatively lowerand higher pressure, a valve opening these steam-inlets alternately, afloat and devices arranged and adapted to operate the said valves foropening in succession as the said float rises and falls for the purposeset forth.

3. In apparatus for heating and circulating heated water in pipes, thecombination of a closed vessel with its water-inlet, a valve controllingthe same, two steam-inlets, a valve controlling the latter, a rod 8connected to the former valve, a rod Z in alinement with the said rod 3and connected thereto by means allowing them limited independent motion,devices connecting rod Z to the valve controlling the steam-inlets,stops, arranged at an interval on the rod Z, and a float sleeved on redZ,

moving freely up and down on,the same and arranged for contact with saidstops as it rises and falls substantially as set forth.

4:. In apparatus for heating and circulating water through pipes, aclosed vessel, having a water-inlet, a steam-inlet and a water-outlet,in combination with valves controlling the said inlets and outlet, a rodprovided with three stops, a float controlling the water-outlet valveand adapted to sustain the said rod 5 by contact with one of the saidstops, a larger float guided by said 'rod and arranged for contact withone or the other of the remaining two stops as it rises or falls, meansoperated by the said rod foropening the valvecontrol ling thewater-inlet and means connecting the said rod to the valve controllingthe steaminlet, for the purpose set forth.

5. In apparatus for heating and circulating water through pipes, aclosed vessel, provided with a water-inlet, a steam-inlet and awateroutlet and valves respectively controlling them, in combinationwith a pair of independently-moving floats, a rod arranged and adaptedto be lifted by one of these floats and supported by the other atcertainpoints of their upward movements, meansconnectingthe said rod to thevalve controlling the water-inlet,

and means connecting the said rod to the valve gontlrolling thesteam-inlet substantially as set ort 6. In apparatus for heating waterand circu- 7 In apparatus for heating water and circulating it in pipes,a closed vessel, provided with a water-outlet, a Water inlet,steam-inlets, two valves controlling these water and steam inletsrespectively,,a rod Zprovided with a stop, a float guided by said rodand arranged to strike against said stop at a certain point of itsupward motion thereby lifting the said rod, a lever connected to thesaid rod, a rod 39 connecting the said lever to the steam-controllingvalve, and a rod s connecting the rod Z to the valve controlling thewater-inlet, substantially as set forth.

8. In an apparatus for heating and circulating water, the combination ofa closed vessel provided with water inlet and outlet openings, governedby non-return valves, means for supplying steam at high pressure or lowpressure to said vessel, valve mechanism for governing the steam-supplyand a float so connected to said valve mechanism as to supply thelowpressure steam and to cut ofl the supply of the high-pressure steamwhen the float falls and to supply the high-pressure steam and to cutoff the'supply of low-pressure steam when the float rises.

9. In apparatus for heating and circulating heated liquid in pipes, thecombination of a closed vessel having an inlet for liquid and twoinlets, supplying vapor at low pressure and vapor at high pressurerespectively, auto matic devices for opening one of these three inletsand closing the other two as the liquid accumulates in the said vessel,an outlet for liquid from the same and means for automatically openingand closing the said outlet substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR HENRY BARKER.

Witnesses:

ROBERT EWING, ADElliAIDE CAROLINE PAYTHERGH COTTERELL.

